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Show LATEST ARMS BILL CHANGES JOHNSON LAW Provisions Allow 90-Day Credit to Nations atWar v WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (INS) Senate framers of the administration's come-and-get-it neutrality bill admitted candidly can-didly today that its provisions altered the Johnson act forbidding forbid-ding American loans to nations that defaulted on their World war debts to the United States. Chairman Key Ptttman D, Nev.) of the senate foreign relations rela-tions committee said that the legislation's legis-lation's section granting 90-day credit to belligerents buying munitions muni-tions In this country, must be considered con-sidered as an amendment to the Johnson act. The neutrality bill's change In the stringent Johnson act will be effective, PHUnan said, because the legislation, when It Is passed, will comprise action of congress subsequent subse-quent to the antiloan law. Pittman pointed out that whenever when-ever a law conflicts with a prior statute, the last law passed prevails. pre-vails. The change Is made, said Pitt-man, Pitt-man, because without It Germany not a world debtor to the United States could get credit In this country while Great Britain and France, who have defaulted their war debts, could not. Called aa 'Equaliser' . "This legislation," Pittman explained, ex-plained, "simply equalizes all the belligerents Insofar as the cash-and-carry provisions of the measure meas-ure are concerned." The new bill's cash-and-carry provisions call for cash payments for any commodity bought In this country by belligerents, but carries a qualifying section allowing President Presi-dent Roosevelt to permit the 90- ( Continued en Paaa Twe) (Column Five) BILL CHANGES JOHNSON LAW fCoetlaMi From Pas OH) day credit extension whenever he teea fit No renewal of tha credit it permitted, and no buyer in default de-fault after 90 days may get additional addi-tional credit until the default la paid up. The administration's admission that the Johnson act would be amended to loosen credit to the allies, came when the foreign relations re-lations committee met in lengthy session to go over the revised language lan-guage of tha come-and-get-lt neutrality neu-trality legislation. The committee already hat voted to favorably report the bill and it will come up for debate on the senate floor on Monday. Right U Stiffen With today's final check-up on the bill, Pittman announced that he would make public later in the day the majority report of the committee recommending passage of the legislation by congress. Alteration of the Johnson act to extend 90-day credits will open a new phase in the neutrality battle in the senate and this change it likely to be hotly disputed, even by tome members who are support-Inf support-Inf the cash-and-carry proposal by the administration. The bill providing for repeal of , the absolute embargo on shipment of U. S. arms to warring nations and substitution of a come-and-get-lt neutrality, already was under heavy fire from senators who claimed that it abandoned the principle prin-ciple of freedom of the seas, for which this country has always stood staunchly in the past. "It is an outrageous bill," observed ob-served one opponent Senator Adams Ad-ams D Colo.). "I've never aeen anything like it For yean we have been fighting to preserve the rights of our citizens and now we propose to make felons out of them when they try to exercise those rights. We ought to let them travel at their own risk." Important Exemptions As finally prepared for report to the senate, the bill provided Important east and wett coast hemisphere exemptions to the strict cash-and-carry provision forming Its basic nucleus. In the Atlantic ocean, exemptions exemp-tions were adopted permitting American aircraft and water carriers car-riers to haul mall, passengers, personal per-sonal effects and supplies to all belligerent possessions except the British-owned island of Bermuda. The exemption to belligerent possessions pos-sessions was limited to within 100 miles of the eastern coast line. A special provision exempted Canada from the cash-and-carry system In so far as overland or great lakes transportation was concerned, but placed the dominion domin-ion In the same category as all other belligerents with regard to travel from the American seaboard sea-board to Canadian Atlantic ports by water. In the Pacific In the Pacific the exemption was narrowed to apply only to aircraft air-craft opening Pan-American Airways Air-ways service from the western coast to New Zealand and Australia Aus-tralia for mall, passengers, necessary neces-sary fuel and parts. Leaders In both the administration administra-tion camp and forces fighting the bill mapped strategy today for next week'a debate. Senate Republican Re-publican Leader McNary, among those opposing the bill, said he did not believe the people would stand for unnecessary delay. "The public is entitled to a prompt decision consistent with a free and full debate," said McNary. Mc-Nary. "No one contemplates a fill-butter. fill-butter. Everyone expects tpeeches to be confined to the points of Issue. So far as possible, speeches will follow in normal sequence. We hope there will be no prolonged Intermission, but natural exceptions excep-tions may arise from time to time." |